Improvement in fire-proof buildings



I 2 Sheets-SheetZf V R. HILLS.

FIRE-PROOF'BTJ'ILDING. No.173,953. Patented Feb. 22, 1876.

' wwam MPEIERS. PNOTO-LITHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON I: c

' TENTo cE,

RALPH H L s, or. DELAWARE, 01110.

.IMPROVEMENT m FIRE-PROOF, BUILDINGS.

Specification forming part ofLetters Patent No 1 735953, datedFebruary 22, 1876,; application tiled June 10,1875. i

3T0 all whom itmay concern: a

Be it known that I, RALPH HILLS, ofDelaware, in-the county of Delaware and State of "Ohio, have invented certain newand' useful Improvements in Fire-Proof Houses; and 1 do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,;and exact description of the invention,

3 such as will enableothers skilledin the art to cient size, withinthe walls, so asto embrace the entire arch at the level of the springingline of said arches, substantially as hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In thedrawings, Figure 1 representsa plan View of an apartment,representing the-belt of iron. orsteel embracing the springing-line of the arches which form the ceiling. Fig.2 represents avertical sectional viewof suchan apartment.

A are the snpportingwalls; B, the springbig-dine of the arch; O, the arch itself, which,-

arising from the four sides of the apartment, unite at the center and along the groined lines D. Eremesents the series of rods, firmly united at the corners of the apartment and at.

i all intersections, so as toform a continuous wrought-iron or steel belt, embracing [each apartment at the springing-line of the arch, so as to resist thethrust of'said arch. c

It will be observed that in an apartment arched in this way, from the four sides to the center, the greatest horizontal thrustis in the direction of theflattest arch, and it is evident that the flattest arch is that formed by the r groin-lines. The horizontal thrust, therefore,

i in such a structure, is greatest at the four corners of the room or apartment.

It is therefore evident that the rodsE cannot yield along the middle, because, in order to yield in that way, there necessarily would have to be a corresponding shortening-of the arch on the groin-line but thisisimpossible,

owingto thefact that the greatest outward strain is at the corners of the roomsuponlthat line. i r i I The rods E are embraced inthe body of the r walls A of the structure, where they are out of sight, andalso safest from-accident or action of'heat. The rods E receive the-entire thrust of the arches that form the ceiling of. the apartment, and, as a consequence, the walls A need only be of sufficient thickness toaii'ord enough strength to support the weight of the superin cumbent structure.

- When the thin arch G is constructed, it is s to be further strengthened and stifi'ened by forming'on its upper surface ribs of brick laid s i on their faces or edges, with plaster-of-paris or cement, running from the side walls A parallel with each other toward the center of the apartment. (See Figs. 1 and 2.)

When a cement or tile floor is to be laid over this arch, the spaces between the ribs are to be filled with brickarches laidince ment, from rib to rib, at right angles to thewalls, or with'hollow tiles or broken brick,

or any. other. firm, but light, incombustible material,.made firm andcsolid, with suitable mortar orcement, to makea smooth, level, hard surface to receive the tile or other hard floor finish.

When a board floor is to be laid, the filling between theribs may be dispensed with, and

strips of wood can be laid upon and acrossthe V ribs'and the flooring-boards laid upon them.

The Vaulted; arch C, Fig. 2, withits iron or steelbelting, is to be placed also at the top of all the nppenapartments of the building to aid in fire-proofing the roof. The roof may be of any desirableform orfashiou; butto be fire-proofed fully the essentialsare the ironbound brick archesKG immediately beneath it, and the upper surface of the roof to be made of sheet-iron, slate, tile, concrete, or other incombustible material. a a

In forming a ceiling of this nature, I prefer to employ ordinary, but well-burned and, goodshaped,'bricks, placed edge to edge horizontally, or, in other words, presenting their fiat surfaces downward, the arch being from two to two and a half inches thick.

- sired, be placed face to face horizontally, showing the long sides downward, or they may be placed face to face vertically, showing the ends downward. By placing the bricks edge to edge, united with the binding plaster-of-paris, or of cement, and bound by the iron or steel belt at the springingline ot' the arch, I have found them sufficiently strong for all ordinary purposes of floor or of roof supports. I have also found that, when the arches are thus made, they are sufficiently strong for all ordi nary purposes of floor and roof supports, if made to a radius of thirty feet. Other lengths of radii may be used, but that of thirty feet gives good results and sufiicient strength over common-sized rooms.

The iron rods may be'of any size'deemed necessary; but I have found that-round iron rods, from one and one-eighth to one and three-fourths inch in diametenwere abundantly sufficient. If steel rods .are used, they may be smaller. In a house. of many rooms these rods interlace, .the Whole structure being firmly secured at all corners and intersections, so as to completely belt independently each important room.

When there are a number of rooms placed side by side, as shown in plan, Fig. 3, the extreme end rooms K should be arched and belted with iron or steel rods, as heretofore described; but the intervening rooms L can be arched from side to side only, without the use of the iron rods, as, having their arches abutting one another, and abutting the arches of the end rooms, which are securely belted, they are secure without the rods.

What I claim, therefore, as new, and desire to'secure by Letters Patent, is i [n the construction of fire-proof apartments, the combination with the walls A of the arches O and metallic belt E, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to thisspecification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

Witnesses LEVERE'IT [1. LEGGETT, THOMAS B. BALL. 7

RALPH HILLS. 

